


5 Times That Fred Weasley Cheered Hermione Granger Up And One Time That She Cheered Him Up

by DaniJ



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Not Epilogue Compliant, Rare Pairings, Slow Burn, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:20:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24168742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniJ/pseuds/DaniJ
Summary: What it says on the tin. Fred Weasley somehow always knows when one Hermione Granger needs a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen to her. And really, they have to stop meeting like this.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley
Comments: 14
Kudos: 421





	5 Times That Fred Weasley Cheered Hermione Granger Up And One Time That She Cheered Him Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ya'll! Some of you may know me from my other work, How Hermione Granger Married Fred Weasley. I decided to write a cute little story to help me get back into the groove of writing. So leave a like and comment, I always try my hardest to respond! Obviously this goes without saying, this is not canon compliant. I kept just about everything as close to canpn as I could, but I wasn't about to kill the main character of this story lol.
> 
> Also, if you like this story, go ahead and follow my tumblr, cantholdthisgarbage (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/cantholdthisgarbage) I respond a little quicker on there and am open to potentially doing any prompts you send in! They don't have to be strictly fremione.

He steps through the portrait hole and readjusts the packages of food in his hands. He curses under his breath and vows to never lose another game of rock, paper, scissors again. He walks past the fireplace and curses again when he drops the bag in his left hand. He bends down and picks it up, but pauses before he starts walking again. He cocks his head to the side as he hears another quiet sniffle. 

He creeps closer to the noise, which had been partially muffled from behind the red drapes closed over the windows. He places the parcels of food down quietly before shoving the curtains aside. A pair of glossy brown eyes snap up to meet his before darting away. She swipes furiously at her eyes before looking at him again.

“Fred! What are you doing up so late?” She hoarsely asks him.

“Oh you know, pranking some first years, staying out past curfew in hopes of getting a chance to see Snape.”

She frowns at him and raises her brows. “Really Fred?”

He rolls his eyes and stts on the cushion next to her. “No, Hermione. Believe me, you would have heard a bigger commotion coming through the portrait hole if I had been. You remember the last time McGonagall dragged me and George in. Bloody portraits couldn’t stop yelling.” 

She wraps her arms around her legs and clears her throat before speaking again. “So what were you doing out, past curfew no less?”

He nods over at the pile of food a few feet away from them. “I lost rock, paper, scissors to Georgie and Lee, the absolute wankers.”

She huffs and plays with a loose seam on her muggle pyjama pants. He frowns and studies her in the dim light. She looks so unlike the uptight and bossy girl he’s come to know. Her shoulders slumped, and skin pale. He looks closer and spots dark bags under her eyes and red lips, bitten raw. She has her books open and marked next to her but Fred doubts she was studying them too closely if the red rimmed eyes and bright nose were anything to go by.

“What about you Ms. Granger? What are you doing up at,” he looks over to the clock by the fireplace, “half past two on what is now a Wednesday morning? Studying got the best of ya again?” He asks, even knowing that the answer is shockingly not a yes this time.

She bites her lip and looks over at the books. “Yes. You know me, bookworm and all.” She laughs bitterly. 

He huffs. “What, did Ickle Ronniekins stick his foot in it again?” 

She looks up at him briefly again and he finds his chest clenching at the raw emotion on her face for the split second that she can’t cover it with the pasted on smile he’s been seeing in passing more frequently.

“I think that would require him or Harry to be speaking with me. Which they aren’t. I would have assumed you would know since I’m the reason that Harry got his brand new firebolt taken away. Even Oliver had some steely looks to spare me.”

His brows raise and he catches her eyes. They crinkle at the corners. “Well yeah, I heard. You may have been the one to receive the looks from Oliver but I’m the one that’s had to listen to him complain about it whenever he opens his mouth.”

She glares at him and whips around to her books, roughly closing them and then shoving them into her bag. Really, the amount of books being jammed in there doesn’t seem possible.

“Well, I’m so sorry that you’ve had to deal with that Fred. Really! It must be such a hardship to listen to someone complain about someone doing the right thing, even if no one can see it. Gosh, it must really be an inconvenience for you,” she stands rigidly and makes to shove past him while continuing her rambling. 

He reaches out and snags her elbow before she can get too far and yanks her back, cutting off her angry words. She stumbles back and yelps when she loses her balance. She lands roughly on the cushion and him. Half of her is in his lap and the other half is wedged between him and the edge of the window seat. She glares at him and rips her arm out of his grasp and wiggles out of his lap. He gets a warm feeling in his abdomen and files that away for later. He grabs her arm again when she tries to stand.

“Merlin Hermione! I didn’t mean for you to take it that way. Would you just calm down!”

She glares at him again and takes in a measured breath. Her eyes are still red and he feels guilt crawl up his back. He may not be as bad as the wonder boy and his brother, but he certainly hasn’t stopped anyone from saying the mean things to her that he knows are being thrown her way.

“Why do you even care Fred? It’s not like we’re friends.”

He looks down at her and frowns. “No, I wouldn’t say we’re friends. But that doesn't mean that I don’t still care about you on some level. I may not be happy that Harry doesn’t have his broom, but I also think you probably had a good reason for getting it taken away.”

Her eyes lose some of the fire that had been blazing seconds ago. “Oh. No one’s really seen it that way. I just assumed you’d feel as upset as the rest of them.”

He brings a hand up to his chest in mock hurt. “I can’t believe you would think that of me! You know I always try to go against what the crowd thinks.”

She laughs quietly next to him and he can see her relax more than he has in days. She still looks tired, but less like she’s trying to make the choice between passing out or crying. They sit in silence for a couple minutes before he speaks again.

“So why did you do it?”

She looks up at him in surprise. “I figured it was suspicious that someone ‘anonymously’ sent him a  _ very expensive  _ broom right after Sirius Black broke into a castle  _ that no one should be able to break into _ .” She looks at him expectantly. When he doesn’t respond, she huffs and continues. “Don’t you think it could be possible that someone smart enough to break into this castle could be smart enough to buy a replacement broom, place a jinx or curse on it, and  _ kill  _ Harry? Apparently no one can see this other than Professor McGonagall and me. Then, Ron blames me for Crookshanks eating his stupid rat, which Crookshanks  _ did not do _ . So not only have I killed every hope, dream, and feeling of wonder about a  _ broom _ for Harry, Ron, and apparently Oliver Wood,” She rolls her eyes, “but I’m being blamed for not controlling my cat from ‘eating’ Scabbers.”

He hums and stares at her. Her frustration is radiating off her in waves, along with sadness. Sadness at being a social outcast again, at being ignored by her supposed best friends, at having half the Quidditch team throwing her dirty looks in the Great Hall.

“Have I ever told you that Ron and Harry are kind of idiots?”

She lets out a surprised laugh. “What do you mean?”

He shrugs and folds his hands in his lap. “I mean this; they aren’t willing to look past their own desires and selfish needs in order to see your point of view, something you’d think my git of a brother would know better of by now, considering you’ve saved his and Potter’s arse more than a few times by now.” She looks at him in shock. “What? You and I both know it’s true. You’d think that given how many times you help them reason their way through existing that they’d be willing to listen to why you did it. You don’t usually do drastic things without a proper reason. Merlin, you don’t do  _ anything  _ without having a reason.”

She laughs and nudges him with her shoulder. He smiles down at her before placing his hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. She meets his eyes and her smile grows when she sees his own.

“Who knew you could be so smart?"

He gasps and pouts at her. “I’ll have you know that they call me the smartest wizard of my generation!”

She quirks her brow before asking, “Really? Who says that?”

“Ah, one doesn’t reveal their secrets.” She smiles and looks down again. “But it’s definitely George. And he may or may not have been talking about himself when he said that.”

Her eyes crinkle as she laughs. The warm feeling in his gut is back and he decides to push it away again. This isn’t what either of them need right now. He pushes his way to his feet and offers his hand to her. She gives him a smaller, but no less sincere quirk of her lips. She grasps his hand and lets him pull her up.    
  
He sweeps out his arm after she lets go of his hand. “M’lady. I think it’s time that we called it a night.”

She nods and walks past him. He quickly picks up his snack items and follows her towards the stairs leading to the separate dorms. 

“For what it’s worth, I think you were right to tell McGonagall.” He says quietly to her retreating back.

She turns her head to look back at him and he sees happiness flash across her face before she simply nods at him and continues her way to her room.

* * *

He pads down the stairs softly, making sure to avoid the loud ones as he descends. He yawns and covers his mouth with the back of his. His barefoot makes a quiet noise in the otherwise silent room when he touches the stone of the bottom level. He rounds the corner of the kitchen and nearly jumps ten feet in the air when he sees a shadowy figure sitting at the kitchen table. He must make some sort of choking noise because the head of the person snaps up to look at him. He squints when he gets his barings about him.

“Merlin Hermione! D’you always sit in the dark like this?” He hisses.

She lets out a shaky breath and looks down at the glass of water in her hand. “I couldn’t sleep. I thought a glass of water would help.” She replies quietly.

He sighs and makes his way over to the sink. He grabs a glass from the cabinet above and fills it with cool tap water. He takes a quick drink and shuffles over to the chair next to the slight witch. He grunts as he lowers himself to his seat, legs burning from the unexpected running the night before. He sets the glass on the table and turns to face her.

“Bad dreams?”

She shrugs. “I suppose. More like bad thoughts.”

He hums in confusion. “What d’you mean?”

She spins the glass in her hands before quickly glancing at him and then back down. “Just thinking about last night. What if it really was you-know-who and he’s back? What about those people in masks? Do they work for him and they’re sending a message? Or were they try to-to copy him?” She gets louder with each question, shoulders drawing up in a tense hunch. “What if the Ministry is in on it somehow? Malfoy seemed so calm during all of it, like he knew that nothing would happen to him even though he  _ clearly  _ wasn’t on our side. What-what happened to all those muggle families?” 

Her breathing became tense and forced. His eyes widen and he places one of his hands on her tense shoulder and the other on her back, rubbing soothing circles over her soft sleep shirt. She looks up at him and he can see the panic and fear running through her.

“Hey, hey. It’s gonna be alright. We don’t have all the answers yet, but you know dad will get them at some point.” Her breathing didn’t calm and he cursed. “Hey, c’mere.” 

He pulls her into his chest but the angle is awkward. He shuffles to one side of the chair more and pulls her closer to him so that she’s resting on the edge of her seat. He continues rubbing circles on her back, trying his hardest to keep his breathing level and even, hoping that where their chests are pressed together she’ll be able to match him. 

Slowly, he feels her shoulders begin to loosen up and relax. They drop the tightness against his and she slumps forward into his embrace more. Her forehead rests on the bare skin of his neck where his t-shirt has slipped down. He feels the wetness of her cheeks and squeezes her tighter for a second before pulling back, keeping his hands on her arms.

“I don’t have answers to your questions.” He says quietly and her lip goes tight. “But I do know that something is happening. There is no way what happened at that campsite was a fluke. I hope I’m wrong and Merlin do I hope that the Ministry isn’t in on it. I also know that you, my brother, and Harry are probably going to do something stupid in order to find out.”

She huffs wetly and swipes at her eyes. “I don’t know about that one. We never do anything stupid.”

He raises a brow and looks at her in disbelief. “Right, and me and Georgie don’t prank Percy every chance that we get because the git doesn’t deserve it.” She laughs quietly and he feels her shoulders relax more. “What I’m saying is this; everything is a bit confusing right now. We all want answers, but something tells me that we’ll get them either in the form of dad or because you three get into something.”

She nods and sighs. She grabs her glass of water and stands. She looks down at his face searchingly. She places her hand on his shoulder and squeezes once while holding his gaze. She looks consideringly at him before pulling away. She walks a few paces away before turning back to him.

“Thanks Fred. And for what it’s worth,” she pauses like she’s trying to debate what to say next. “sometimes Percy does deserve it.” 

* * *

She startles from her position on the bed when he appears in front of her suddenly. She groans and throws one of the pillows on the bed at him. He laughs as he easily catches it and looks around the dusty room. It looks like Hermione and Ginny had tried their hardest to clean up most of the filth. He crosses the room in a few quick strides and jumps on the bed. She lets out a squeak at the sudden bounce of the mattress. His hand shoots out and grasps at her elbow before she can bounce off the bed.

“Fred! What do you want?” She huffs and resettles herself on the bed.

“Well dearest ‘Mione, I was hoping that you and Ginny would be in here doing something interesting, but alas,” he sweeps his arm around the otherwise empty room, “it appears that my sweet little sister is elsewhere and I’ll just have to settle for you.”

She rolls her eyes and he can see her tuck something back into her jacket pocket like she doesn’t want him to see what it is. Interesting indeed. 

“What about your brothers? You know, especially the one that looks identical to you?” She says with a forced calm that doesn’t match her pinched face.

He sighs dramatically and flops back onto the mattress. “He left me!” She quarks a brow at him. He rolls his eyes and shoves at her playfully. “Mum had him and Bill go back to the house to grab a couple things. She banned me and George from going with Bill together because we ‘won’t get anything done and will probably just cause a big mess that she’ll have to clean later.’” 

“Gee, I wonder what could have led her to arrive at that conclusion? Could it perhaps be all those times that you’ve made a mess for her to clean in this house alone? Or do you think it could be the seventeen years she’s spent living with you?” She implores drily. 

Fred gapes at her and splutters out indignant half responses. “I’ll have you know that George and I have not given mum a single thing to worry about since we’ve come to this hovel.”

“It’s not a hovel! It just needs some,” her face scrunches up in contemplation to find the right word, “help. Maybe some paint to brighten it up a bit.”

Fred laughs and crosses his ankles. “Oh sweet little Hermione. This place is a hovel.” She opens her mouth to talk over him but he beats her to it. “It’s ok to admit it. I mean, bloody hell, I’m pretty sure that’s a blood stain over by the closet.” He gestures behind them and she winces. “And, that portrait of Mrs. Black yelled all those terrible things when Tonks tripped earlier. Face it, the place isn’t anything to write home about.”

Her eyes darted down to her coat pocket quickly before going back to his. He smirks at her and her eyes narrow. Her hand makes a half aborted motion towards that same pocket before she can correct it awkwardly and tug a strand of hair behind her ear. A fool’s game this is.

He lunges for the button on her jacket and she yelps as she tries to backpedal away from him. She twists away before he can grab her coat properly and he chases after her. Which, thank Merlin he does, because her eyes go wide as she underestimates how close she is to the edge of the bed. She starts to go over the side before his arm grabs her around the waist. He braces his other hand on the mattress and tugs her upwards with more force than is strictly necessary.

He drags her back against him so that her back is pressed against his chest and his arm is curled around her midsection. He grunts at the twinge he feels in his shoulder from the abrupt motion he did seconds prior and from her leaning most of her weight on his arm.

His other arm is trapped under her middle and he dislodges the one curled around her in order to search for whatever she haphazardly shoved in there earlier. She squirms and pinches him in order to fend off his attack. He squeezes her with the arm that’s trapped under her and grunts when she places more of her weight on that arm.

“Fred! What do you think you’re doing?” She yelps at him.

His fingers slip under the button of her jean jacket and he shoves his hand in before she can do something drastic, like kick him in an area that he would rather no one ever use brute force in. The shirt she’s wearing rides up and the hand under her touches warm skin before he has a chance to pull it free. His thumb reaches just under the bottom of her bra while his pinky brushes against the top of her jeans. He files that very intriguing detail away for later.

His fingers brush what assumes is parchment and he pulls it up and out of her jacket with a triumphant whoop. He yanks his other arm out from under her. She goes to follow him but he turns on his side and reaches behind him with his now free hand to ward her off long enough to look at whatever is in his hand.

He flips the paper up and finds himself looking at a picture of Ron, Hermione, and Harry from what he guesses would be the end of their third year. In it, Hermione is in the middle looking from Ron to Harry with a wide smile on her face. Her eyes are crinkled at the corners and her bushy hair is in full effect. Ron has a speck of chocolate on his upper lip and his tongue darts out to lick at it before the pictures cycles again. Harry stares down at Hermione in the photo with affection before his head snaps up to where the camera is and the brightness in his eyes dims considerably before the beginning starts over again. Fred feels a prickly heat in his chest and he knows it isn’t the type of heat he normally associates with Hermione at this point.

He feels hand grab his shoulder and pull him so he’s flush against the bed and he doesn’t struggle. He lets it happen to see what her plan is. She presses her body along his side and half on top of him in order to stretch herself across his chest and snatch the picture out of his loose hand. His elbow knocks against her arm that is bracing all her weight and she collapses half on top of him with a huff. She pushes herself up with the hand that has the picture in its grasp, also resting at the center of his chest. She goes to sit up but he grabs a handful of her jacket and tugs her down. She makes a wheezing noise when their chests collide and he panics for a second because he really didn’t think this one through. She glares up at him and he can see the sadness from earlier creeping around the edges. He rests a hand on the center of her back and rubs at the spot gently. Her glare loses some of its heat.

He lets a couple beats of silence pass before speaking. “Why would you shove that picture into your pocket so quickly when I came in?”

She huffs and jabs at his stomach with her elbow without subtly. “Well, I was surprised. I wasn’t actually expecting someone to barge into the room let alone appear from thin air without warning.”

He quirks his brow at her. “Nice try Miss Granger, but I think we’ve passed the point in which I would believe that.”

Her lips pull together in a thin line and her brows furrow, creating a little wrinkle between the two perfectly plucked arches. He can see her mulling her words before even saying them. He lets her ponder, waiting her out like he has come to expect.

“I suppose I felt a bit sad and guilty.”

“Why were you sad?”

She huffs and pulls up and away from him. He lets her go, missing the warmth she brought with her. She doesn’t go far however, choosing to settle herself on her knees between his splayed legs, right between his own knees. He sits up and groans internally when he feels the twinge in his shoulder again. He brings a hand up to rub at the sore spot. She plucks at the skin by her nails and he continues to wait her out.

“It’s just that,” she stops and collects her thoughts again before continuing, “I’m worried about Harry.” She rushes out with.

He feels his chest spike with something sharp and his mind plays back the smile she gave him in the photo and the look of pure adoration that was on Harry’s before he realized that someone had a camera pointed at him and his friends.

“Why, love?” He clears his throat before continuing quickly in hopes that she didn’t notice his term of endearment. “I mean, Dumbledore said that he would be here shortly, right? That’s good news, isn’t it?”

She shakes her head and bites her lip. “It is good news, really. It’s just that, what took Professor Dumbledore so long to let him come? You know how much he went through last year with the whole Triwizard Tournament and Cedric. Fred, he was so shaken up on the ride home that we had to call his name a handful of times before he even looked like he was in the same plane of existence as the rest of us. Plus, we can’t even tell him the  _ truth  _ about what’s going on around here. He’s completely left in the dark and he doesn’t even get the truth in any of the letters we send him. Fred, it’s terribly impersonal and full of words that mean  _ nothing _ .”

Her chest heaves with the contempt that is written all over her face. He sees the flash of guilt flicker across her features before settling back on anger. Her shoulders are tense and her hair seems to have gotten even more wild with the tussle and anger that took place.

His hand finds its way to her lower back and he rubs soothing circles there. “But what’s got you so guilty? I get the sadness, I really do. I don’t like that he’s been left with those horrible muggles that he calls his family, but there’s nothing that we can do right now.”

She sighs and relaxes a bit. “I just feel guilty that we’re all here, surrounded with people that care and he has to be stuck at that awful house.” 

Her lips are still drawn tight and he places his other hand on her knee and he gives it a light squeeze. “What’s the real reason?”

She sighs and looks him in the eye before speaking. “I think Professor Dumbledore is hiding something.”

His eyebrows shoot up before he can stop them and she lets out a more frustrated sigh than the one before. She continues to stare at him with those deep brown eyes and leans forward minutely. He mimics her movement without realizing.

“Think about it Fred! He has  _ always _ been cryptic about stuff regarding Harry. And it isn’t Harry leaving out important information because he simply forgot. Harry can be a bit daft at times, but not when it comes down to whatever major problem we run into each year. And that’s the other thing that seems suspicious to me. Every year Ron, Harry, and me run into  _ something _ that is almost always a life or death situation, you even said so last summer. Isn’t it a bit odd that all the other professors seem shocked when it happens but he just sits there like he knew it was going to happen? He’s a world class wizard, but he can’t actually see the future. And I  _ sincerely _ doubt he could get Professor Trelawney to reliably do it for him. So why is he never concerned when the ‘Golden Trio’,” she rolls her eyes at the title, “ _ always _ seems to get into a situation that could prove fatal. I mean, there’s unflappable and then there’s just not being surprised because you knew all along something was going to happen.”

Fred stares at her in shock. She makes a frustrated noise and he tightens his hold on her to prevent her from trying to get up. “Hermione, what are you saying? That Dumbledore is somehow orchestrating all this?”

She shakes her head and moves closer. “No, that’s why this is all so confusing. I  _ know  _ he’s on the good side. I never questioned that, but I  _ have _ questioned what exactly his motives are. I can’t come up with any scenario that explains why we haven’t been able to get Harry here quicker. Put aside whatever he told us when he explained that Harry coming was going to have to wait. He seems to have his own timeline in his head that no one is privy to. Even Professor McGonagall looked like she disagreed with him when he was telling Sirius that Harry wouldn’t be able to come immediately.”

He could definitely see where she was coming from with her concerns. “Alright, say that this theory of yours is true, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know.” She whispers. He can see the confusion and raw sadness in her eyes.

“Merlin, come here.”

He tugs her down and she goes without complaint. He leans back against the old headboard and cradles her head against his chest. He runs one hand up and down her back as the other tangles in her hair. He can smell the shampoo she uses and he closes his eyes tightly. 

“It’ll be alright. We’ll figure something out. After all, what are the chances that the brightest witch of our age and a ravishly handsome,  _ genius _ wizard aren’t able to come up with something?” He murmurs against the crown of her head.

He feels her huff against him and he smiles and closes his eyes again. He doesn’t know how long they sit like, simply breathing in time with one another and existing. His left hand traces patterns on her back and the other hand stays tangled in her hair. He opens his eyes and looks towards the doorway when he feels the sensation of eyes trained on him and the small witch in his arms. He finds the curious and confused faces of Bill and George staring at them. He shakes his head slightly and stares at George the whole time to indicate that he’ll explain everything later. The older of the brother’s drags away the younger without protest. Fred sighs and closes his eyes. For now, the only problem he faces is the growing warmth he feels in his stomach and the thought of how he’ll need to untangle their limbs shortly.

* * *

He finds her at the lake, sat by the very edge with her head peering into the murky and dark waters. He slowly makes his way over to her, careful to step loudly enough to alert her to his presence, but not too loudly that he would startle her. He stops beside her and gently lowers himself to sit on her left side. They simply breath together for a few long moments before either one of them speaks.

“It’s not fair.” She whispers, eyes still tracking the ripples before her.

“I know.” He replies, just as quiet.

In the distance, he sees a tentacle briefly break the surface of the water before completely disappearing from view. The trees make a soft swaying motion behind them, leaves vibrant green and healthy once more.

“I knew Professor Snape was capable of doing morally questionable things, but I really thought he was on our side in his own twisted way. I never thought that he could...could  _ do _ ,” She breaks off with a choked noise.

He doesn’t ask this time before he pulls her in. She goes easily, curled between his legs like she was a year ago. Her head rests on his shoulder and her own shake with the force of silent sobs. He feels his shirt become damp and he has to force himself to take even breaths in order to quell his own feelings of sadness and confusion. His throat is tight and his eyes sting with unshed tears. He squeezes them closed but that does nothing to keep them at bay, instead that slip out of the corners and make their way down his cheeks. 

He rocks her against him and that seems to give her the permission to fully let go. Her sobs become louder and he feels his own shoulders start to shake. Merlin, he never thought that he would have to be in this position any time soon. Sure, he has older relatives that realistically only have a couple more years left in them, but he never thought that he would lose someone so important at such a young age.

They sit there in silence, rocking and letting themselves shed the emotion they had to keep in check during the service. He had checked in with Ginny before he came to find Hermione. His younger sister hadn’t seemed to move past the stage of disbelief yet, but he knew that this summer would be hard on the young witch. She may not have had the connection with him that Harry, Hermione, or Ron did, but he took the time to personally talk with her after the whole ordeal of her first year. He made her feel important, seen, and heard when that was the very thing she had been struggling with in the first place.

He inhales shakily before gathering enough composure to speak. “I know love. None of us thought that he would do something like this. He’s always been a greasy git but he seemed so invested during the Order meetings. Even if it were for selfish reasons, he seemed like he actually cared about what would happen to us.”

She leans away from him enough to peer into his eyes. “I just don’t understand how he could turn around and betray Professor Dumbledore like that! He trusted him! We  _ all  _ trusted him! He came to every meeting in the Order, to...to what? Spy? It doesn’t make sense. How could Professor Dumbledore not see that?”

Fred sighs and rakes a hand down his face, really feeling the grittiness of a long day. “I really don’t know. It seems so odd that no one could see what he was really planning this whole time. Especially Dumbledore. I mean, he was a world class wizard for Merlin’s sake. A lot of things could be used to describe him, but unaware is not one of them.”

“I suppose we’ll never know.” She whispers as she wipes the back of her hand over each of her tear stained cheeks.

She untangles herself from him and primly stands up and dusts off her backside. She offers him a hand and he takes it with a clasp. He unfolds his long legs and stares down at her when he’s full standing. She smiles up at him and he’s suddenly transported back to his fifth year when he found her crying in the Gryffindor common room. He searches her face and sees the sadness he saw at the funeral, but he also sees something deeper. Maybe not something she’ll share with him yet, but something he knows is big.

She reaches up and grabs the lapels of his suit jacket and for a second he thinks that she’ll pull him down and...and nothing it seems. She simply straightens them and dusts off invisible lint. His heart is still beating too fast, especially for something that didn’t even happen. She meets his eyes again and this time they hold a happier emotion.

“Thank you.” She murmurs.

He stares back at her in confusion. “For what?”   


She shrugs and steps back from him. “For always knowing when I need a shoulder or someone to listen to me.”

“Always.”

She nods once and takes another step back before turning away from him. He watches her go and he can’t help but feel like he missed something in the conversation. It felt oddly like a goodbye, something he knows isn’t true considering the wedding happening this summer. Still, he feels unsettled as she slowly disappears back to the castle.

* * *

He sees her across the dance floor looking at a small locket in her hands. Ron is off with mum, discussing something in the kitchen with a lot of hand waving going on. He doesn’t even know where Ginny and Harry have disappeared to at this point. He decides that he’d honestly rather not know at this point either. He drains the rest of his firewhiskey and sets the tumbler down on the table before standing to make his way over to her.

He dodges laughing couples on the floor and slows when he’s just behind her left side. He quietly steps up behind her and glances down to the small silver locket in her hands. Resting on one side is a picture of a man and a woman that if he had to guess, are her parents. In it, they are young looking and huddled together in order to smile at the camera. The other side is them, but aged a few years. The man is still behind the woman in this photo, but this time they have their hands resting on the woman’s midsection, gleaming gold bands catching the light just right.

“You look just like your mum.” He says quietly.

She startles slightly, but doesn’t lower her hands, only choosing to give him a quick glance behind her shoulder.

“I always thought I looked more like my dad.”

He goes around her so that he stands in front. “You have his eyes and hair colour, but this,” He places his thumb under her chin and lifts with not resistance, “is all your mum.”

She smiles and her eyes hold the same pain he saw months ago at the lake after Dumbledore’s funeral. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is pressed in a line so that they don’t tug downwards in sadness.

He drops his hand from her chin and rests them on hers for a beat. He gently closes the locket and unhooks the clasp of the chain it’s secured on. He casts a wandless spell that he and George had been working on for months, knowing that she would find it at some point. He steps closer to her and reaches behind her in order to clasp it around her neck. He lets the fragile chain rest on the back of her neck before pulling back. She smiles up at him and he offers his hand up. She stares in confusion before turning back to him.

“Care for a dance, m’lady?”

Her brows furrow and she laughs. “We aren't even on the dance floor, Fred.”

“Too right, but I don’t think the dance floor is quite our style.”

Her brown eyes sparkle as she looks up at him. She gives him a coy smile as she places her small hand in his. His grin is big as he leads her a little further away from the crowded area. He stops and places his other hand on her hip and her own comes up to rest on his shoulder. He chuckles under his breath and he can hear her huff.

“Something funny?”   


He shakes his head. “No, no. I’m just thinking about when McGonagall gave us all those dancing lessons before the Yule Ball and Ron had to dance with her.”

Hermione rolls her eyes and shuffles with him. “Oh Merlin, I try my hardest not to remember that time.”

“Why? It’s not like you had to dance with him or anything.”

She sighs and laughs as he twirls her out and back in. Her hair is starting to come undone from the pretty half updo that Ginny helped her with earlier. He knows that his younger sister will probably want to fix it once more before the party ends.

“I don’t think he would have known what to do if she had paired us together anyways. He apparently didn’t even know that I was a girl until he was panicking about who to bring with him to the stupid dance anyways.”

Fred scoffs and tugs her a little bit closer. “Well, I have always said that he was a bit thick in the head.”

She whacks him on the shoulders but laughs as she does it so he knows it’s more in agreeance than anything else. “I don’t know if I would say that.” He stares down at her with an incredulous look. She bites her lip to keep from smiling. “Alright! He can be a bit thick and oblivious at times.”

“Hey, you added the oblivious, not me.” 

She rolls her eyes again and turns her head to look out at the dance floor. He can see Ron awkwardly trying to dance with Luna but failing dismally. The small blonde is doing moves Fred knows is confusing to his little brother and the narrow field of ‘dancing’ he’s done before. He watches as Bill and Fleur do no more than essentially shuffle and lean against each other. She’s got her head on his chest with his own head resting in the curls of her shiny hair. They’ve forgone proper form at this point, more or less just hugging and swaying gently to the music playing.

“They look so happy together.”

“Yeah, they really do. I know mum has had her issues with Fleur, but I think in a couple months she’ll start asking about grandkids and she’ll deny ever not liking her.”

Hermione’s brows shoot up to her hairline. “A few months? Doesn’t that seem a bit soon?”   


He snorts. “Nah. The woman wants someone in the family to have a baby that she can coo over again. And it certainly isn’t going to be Charlie any time soon, or even in this lifetime perhaps. Since Percy has basically excommunicated us, dunno if she’ll push him too much when the git decides to come around again.”   
  
She’s quiet for a few seconds before responding. “What about you and George? Has she asked you if you’ll be settling down any time soon?”

He shrugs. “She’s always asking about stuff like that. But now isn’t really the time for that, is it?”

Hermione hums and looks out to the fields to their right. Her lip is caught between her teeth again and her brows are pulled tightly together. She scans the area and he looks out to see what’s caught her attention. He doesn’t find anything and is about to ask her what’s wrong but she speaks before he gets the chance.

“I need you to promise me something Fred.”

He makes a noise of surprise and they stop swaying. “What? What do you mean?”

“I need you to promise me something. Actually, do something for me. A favour, whatever you want to call it.”   


“I, I mean sure? Hermione, what’s going on?” He feels his stomach clench in worry. He has a feeling that something big he saw all those months ago is about to make an appearance.

“We aren’t going back to Hogwarts this year.” She admits.

He feels his confusion amplify and he grasps her elbow. “What? Why? What are you doing if you aren’t going back to Hogwarts?”

“Do you know what a horcrux is?” She whispers and her face is portraying her desperation she must be feeling at this point.

“Horcrux? What? Hermione you aren’t making any se-”

“That’s what we’re doing instead. We have to in order to end all this. Fred, it’s about to get really bad. We can’t go back to the school, it isn’t safe anymore with Professor Snape in charge. He’s going to let Death Eaters into the school to police the students and faculty. Dumbledore left Harry one last clue about everything and it has to do with the Horcruxes.”

“Hogwarts isn’t safe? Hermione, that doesn’t make any sense. What do you mean you’re going to go what, hunting? For these horcruxes? How is that any-”

“Fred! Please, trust me on this. If we want to end this war for good, the answer has to do with these horcruxes. We have to find them and they could be anywhere. But please, you have to promise me something.” She’s quietly begging at this point.

“I-I, alright. Whatever you need.”

She breathes deeply, out of relief he supposes. “My parents, I altered their memories and sent them to Australia.” He opens his mouth to interrupt, but she plows on before he can even make a sound. “I had to in order to keep them safe. They’ll- they’ll never remember me unless Professor McGonagall and I reverse it, but Fred.” She breaks off and takes another deep breath. “If I don’t make it, promise me that you’ll go to Australia to check on them, but don’t let Professor McGonagall reverse it on her own. I don’t want them to live with the fact that I’m gone. Just let them keep thinking they’re Wendell and Monica Wilkins. I just can't do that to them.”

“What? What do you mean if you don’t make it back? Hermione I can’t-”

“Promise me! Fred, please promise me this.”

He stares down at her, taking in her quivering bottom lip. Her eyes are misty and pleading. His own heart is beating rapidly, filled with panic that is being pumped through his veins. His stomach is in knots and he feels as though he’s going to ralph on her pretty dress. He opens and closes his mouth a fews times, trying his hardest to force out any sound.

“I… I will if you promise me something in return.” 

Surprise and confusion flickers across her face. “Alright, that sounds fair.”

“Promise me that you’ll come back.” She makes a noise and starts to speak but he continues as though he doesn’t hear her. “Promise that you’ll come back to  _ me. _ ”

Her mouth snaps shut and she stares up at him, emotions passing over his face quicker than he can place them. She raises a shaky hand and places it on his cheek and he can feel her soft fingers rub against the prickly stubble he didn’t bother to shave earlier.

“Ok. I promise I’ll come back to you.”

“And I promise that I won’t let McGonagall fix your parents memory if...if you don’t come back.” He places his own hand on her cheek and bends his head slightly. “But I won’t have to keep that promise because you  _ are  _ going to come back. You’re going to come back and  _ we _ are going to go and help your parents.”

She tugs him gently and he follows her guidance, bumping their foreheads together and they breath like that for a beat before he dips lower and feels her puff of breath on his lips. That’s when the silvery lynx comes from the forest and stops on the dance floor, booming out a warning. The screaming starts shortly after and Fred loses her in the crowd, no doubt using this as their chance to disappear. 

* * *

He sees her across the Great hall, desperately looking at the bodies that are laid out on the floor. He has the chance now to really see her. Her hair is a mess, clothes torn and bloody. He has no doubt that they hung off her frame before all the rips, but it somehow makes her look even smaller. Her face is dirty and gaunt at the cheeks. He knows that she wasn’t any better when they went to Bill and Fleur’s house, but he can truly see how terrified and small she looks now. 

He steps away from his family and starts walking towards the crazed looking witch. He can sense his family’s stares on his back, George and Bill being the only ones not surprised when he opens his mouth. 

“Hermione!”

Her head snaps up and she stops in her tracks. His throat has a lump in it that he can’t clear and his eyes are starting to sting. He watches as the panic and fear melt off her face when she takes him in. He knows that she can see the new pink scar that starts at his jaw and dips well below the transfigured shirt he’s wearing. The cuts and bruises mark his face, some of them will likely scar and linger for years to come, but he doesn’t care.

She starts moving again, picking up speed with each footfall. He meets her halfway and he stumbles back from the force that she runs into him with. His arms immediately wrap around her back and hers around him. He squeezes her with all the emotion he’s built up since she’s been gone. He can feel the tears steadily coming out of his eyes and closes them tightly to try and calm himself.

He doesn’t know how long they stay like that. It could be years or seconds, but it makes his chest burn when she pulls away. He can hear his own ragged and wheezy breathing and hopes that she understands why he won’t be letting go of her anytime soon. Her eyes are filled to the brim with her own tears. They cut marks down her dirty face, leaving a clean trail in their wake.

“Oh, Fred. Oh god, I’m so glad that you’re ok.”

He nods before bending down to press his forehead against hers. He has the feeling of deja vu and prays that this time will be different than the last. He feels her cold hand cup his face, the other going to his shirt. She pulls the shirt unexpectedly and brings her lips up to meet his. 

Her lips are chapped, but Merlin he doesn’t care. He brings his hand up to tangle in the wild hair at the base of her skull, tilting her head so that it makes the angle better. His other hand goes to her waist to pull her in closer. She hums into the kiss and he can feel the knot he didn’t know was so tightly wound in his chest start to loosen.

Kissing her is everything that he knew it would be. He got the glimpse his fifth year here, something that he thought would never make sense or happen. He thought that the people they were would prove to be the downfall of any potential before it would have the chance to even begin. Merlin is he glad that he never listened to the little voice in his head about most things.

The kiss deepens for not nearly as long as he would like before she pulls back. His chest is light now, feeling the hurt and worry slowly start to slide off his shoulders, disappearing to a place that he hopes never releases them. She smiles up at him and for the first time in years, he feels like it’s not a smile meant to hide what she truly is feeling.

“You kept your promise. You came back to me.” He whispers.

She brings his head down to touch hers, careful to keep her eyes open for her reply. “Always.”

And suddenly, the world is just a bit brighter than it had been in the last minute. Hell, the world was brighter than it had been in the past three years. For the first time in years, he feels like he can breathe easy. So he does. And he smiles when he feels her do the same. In that moment, he’s able to push aside the pain the battle has caused them, because he got to hear the very words he had etched on her locket nearly a year ago: Always. And by the grace of Merlin himself, he is more than ready to start their Always.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Hope ya'll enjoyed! Here's my tumblr again https://www.tumblr.com/blog/cantholdthisgarbage


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